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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. season — in sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. land — to come down
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. land — a country
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — of the year
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. drill — army training
  16. cap — a lid
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. can — a tin
  19. cap — of ice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. root — of a word
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com